Improvement in trip-hammers



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BENNET HOTCHKISS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRIP-HAMMERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,5@L dated May 5, 1864.

lpart of this specication, and represent, in

Figure l, a front elevation; Eig. 2, a side view, and in Fig. 3 a vertical section of the cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention relates to hammers operated by means of a cylinder, and particularly to hammers for which Letters Patent were granted t0 me on` the 14th day ot' June, A. D. 1859, and the 15th day of September, A. D. 1863,. and it consists in arresting` the hammer at its highest point of ascent, or at any point during its descent, for the purpose ot' adding force to the blow to be given, by compressing the air within the cylinder or other spring to act upon the hammer, therebyincreasing' the force of the blow by so much as the power of the spring, or of the portion ot' its power employed, the object bein g to reduce the weight of the hammer for a blow ot' a given force, as also to afford a greater range of force with the same hammer.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved hammer, I will proceed to. describe its construction and operation.

A is the bed, on which rests an anvil, B. C C are vertical guides, between which, and moving freely up and down, is fixed the cylinder D,the lower part of which forms the hammer. E is a piston within the cylinder D, and xed to or made a part of the pistonrod F. G is a cross-head running on the guides C C, and to which thepiston is attached. His the drivingshaft, to the inner end of which is xed the crank I, and connected by the rod Kto the crosshead G. Through the cylinder, and about midway of the stroke of the piston, I make an aperture, c.

When power is applied to the drivingslat't, and the piston thereby made to traverse within the cylinder, the piston will rise to and pass the aperture 'a and compress the air within the cylinder above the aperture and between the piston and cylinder-head until the compression overcomes the weight of the hammer. Then the hammer will be taken up the remainder of the stroke. Arapid velocity, together with the elasticity of the compressed air, gives to the ascending hammer a momentum which carries the hammer more or less above the full stroke of the crank. In descendin g, the piston in advance ofthe cylinder, in consequence of the momentum, as aforesaid, repasses the aperture a and compresses the air in the lower part ot' the cylinder, to add the force of such compression to the natural force of the falling hammer.

Thus far the construction is substantially the saine as described in the Letters Patent aforesaid. To add stillmore to the force of the blow, I vattach to one of the guides a latch-lever, L, and makea notch, b, in the cylinder or hammer. As the cylinder rises, this said notch will catch upon the latch c, and there remain until the piston descends and compresses the air in the lower part of the cylinder, and the cross-head strikes the projections d in the lever L, which forces the latch from the notch in the cylinder or l a nmer. When thus released, the hammer descends with a velocity in proportion as the air in the cylinder is more or less compressed. Without other mechanical contrivance the torce would be the same at all times, (the velocity bein g the same.) To regulate the force I employ means substantially the same as described in my application for apatent which was issued September 15, 1863. I insert in the side of the cylinder, and near the bottom, a puppet or other valve, e, (see Fig. 3,) its stem f projectin g from the cylinder, and the valve opening inward.V On the guide I place an a `juster, M. This adjuster is drawn down by a springtreadle,N, and placed so that when drawn down it will strike the stem of and open the valve e. If the full force-ot' the com pression allowed by the latch is not required, I press upon the treadle to draw down the adjuster. This forces in and opens the valve e to allow a portion of the air to escape, the operator being the judge ot' the quantity required to give the desired blow. By this arrangement the force of the blow is at the entire command of the operator.

I have described the spring to be used as of the atmosphere 5 but any other spring may be substituted therefor, and in lieu of allowing a part of the air to escape the latch may be re leased sooner or later, and the hammer allowed to descend accordingly as the blow required is less or greater. Therefore, without eoniining myself to an atmospheric cylinder, ani having fully set foith my invention,

What I claim as a new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

`Arrestingthestroke of the hammer by means of the latch L or its equivalent, when the said latch is arranged in combination with the hammer and cross-head to operate automatically in the manner for the purpose subst-antially as described.

BENNET HOTGHKISS.

Witnesses J oHN E. EARLE, RUFUs SANFORD. 

